Album review: BLOODBOUND – Tales From The North

July 11th, 2023 by brianmc

AFM Records [release date 7.07.23]

Since the early nineties, Northern European Metal bands have progressively sought to explore and celebrate the history and impact of Viking Culture.
“Viking Metal” has grown considerably since then.

One of today’s key exponents is Power Metal band, Bloodbound.

Founder members Fredrik Bergh and Tomas Olsson were AOR/Melodic rock men with Street Talk up until 2004. Since then, with Bloodbound, they have released ten albums, including this new recording, Tales From The North.

The band’s lightfooted, theatrical power metal comes equipped with equal parts melody and harmony, usually climaxing in an anthemic chorus. And it all comes with galloping rhythms and a folky, celtic taste no matter the approach.

The standout songs, ‘The Raven’s Cry’, ‘Odin’s Prayer’ and ‘Land Of Heroes’ arrive in a glorious rush of amplitude, speed and complexity. You get a strong sense of freedom in the music, having apparently abandoned the limiting strictures of the melodic rock formula all those years ago.

Yet, as the album moves forward, that freedom doesn’t seem to stretch too far. It gets progressively difficult to differentiate between the hi speed fretwork and accelerating rhythms of consecutive tracks. ‘Mimi’s Crystal Eye’ and ‘Between The Enemy Lines’ are particularly guilty, running into each other like they didn’t notice the lights had changed.

That said, the declamatory vocals and rushing rhythms, two of almost every song’s prime building blocks, have a significant grow-on-you factor.

With the Karmoygeddon, RockHarz, Masters of Rock and other festivals coming up, it sounds like Bloodbound’s latest instalment in the myth and mystery of Viking Metal is ready to roll. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)